The authors of the evangelical document the Manhattan Declaration have urged Apple to reinstate their iPhone application, which critics have panned as being anti-homosexual.

Apple removed the Christian app from its store over the Thanksgiving weekend after Change.org, a gay rights group, called it homophobic.

"We removed the Manhattan Declaration app from the App Store because it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people," Apple said in a statement on its Web site.

The Manhattan Declaration was penned by evangelical leaders Chuck Colson, Timothy George and Robert George in 2009. It promotes religious liberty and the sanctity of life and traditional marriage.

The document also calls on followers of Christ to "resist sexual immorality."

"We acknowledge that there are those who are disposed towards homosexual and polyamorous conduct and relationships, just as there are those who are disposed towards other forms of immoral conduct," the declaration read.

Drafters of the declaration recently contacted Apple officials, requesting an explanation for the company's decision.

"The core drafters of the Manhattan Declaration have e-mailed Apple CEO Steve Jobs to learn why the declaration's iPhone app has been deleted from the company's site. Stay tuned as we post the letter after Jobs has received it and for Apple's response," they said.

So far, more than 478,000 people have signed on in support of the Manhattan Declaration.